


Drinking with You

by Metal_Gear_Steve



Category: Night In The Woods (Video Game)
Genre: Coming Out, F/M, First Dates, Other, Trans Character
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-24
Updated: 2019-07-24
Packaged: 2020-07-19 03:34:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,427
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19967368
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Metal_Gear_Steve/pseuds/Metal_Gear_Steve
Summary: Garbo takes his main squeeze out on a date. A lovely lady who he's gotten to know over a long time, but who he's only just met.A sweet coming-out story starring Night In The Woods' premier comedic duo. Credit goes to Tumblr user Sleufoot for the idea - details in the notes.





	Drinking with You

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [<untitled>](https://archiveofourown.org/external_works/501340) by Sleufoot. 
  * Inspired by [<untitled>](https://archiveofourown.org/external_works/501346) by Sleufoot. 



> Hey! I finished Night In The Woods recently, and I ended up going on a bit of a comic binge - I love fan comics. And I came across this comic: https://sleufoot.tumblr.com/post/163353544560
> 
> I never would have thought to ship Garbo and Malloy, but this comic melted my heart. I had to do something about it - so I decided to use it as a basis for a fanfiction. In the end I ended up adapting it, with a few tweaks and extrapolations on my part. There was an angsty version that would have been a good 3-4 chapters long, but upon revisiting the comic, I realised I wasn't conveying the lovely mood that drew me so much to the original.
> 
> I was going to message sleufoot to ask for permission, but they seem to have abandoned their Tumblr and disappeared from the internet. They gave a very good reason as to why they were doing so - but I wish I could have sent them a message and let them know just how much this comic touched me. My use of their concept is in good faith, and I would love nothing more to hear from them one day in regards to this story and how they feel about their concept inspiring others.
> 
> So yeah - all credit goes to sleufoot. I use dialogue that they used in their comic, and I never would have written the rest of this story if their comic hadn't resonated so strongly with me. I filled in a few gaps, but the heart of this story, the root idea and - arguably - the best dialogue belongs to sleufoot.
> 
> With that out of the way:
> 
> I wasn't sure how to handle pronouns - the story begins before Malloy fully comes out to Garbo, and they had just finished taping a show in which Malloy identified and presented as male. They've also been dating for months at this point. But once the stage has been set, I refer to her as female throughout the rest of the story. Garbo also uses her birth name throughout the story, but only because he's not aware of her chosen name until later.
> 
> If I've messed anything up here - please let me know. I want to be as respectful to the trans community as I can be. If I've goofed anything up, please let me know so I can fix it.
> 
> Lastly: the name of this story stems from a Jonathan Coulton song of the same name. Honestly, this might be my least original fanfiction yet :P
> 
> I hope you enjoy the story!

_*knock knock*_

There was a heavy rustling noise, then a thump.

"Just a second!"

Garbo sighed. He and Malloy had just finished a taping for their show, and he was feeling a bit fatigued. Regardless, he had agreed to go out for drinks with his comedic partner, so after sprucing himself up in his dressing room, he had made his way over to meet Malloy at his dressing room.

Tonight wasn't just a regular night at the bar, though.

Garbo heard a plastic cap snapping onto a container, and his heart jumped a beat. Of course, his heart had been doing all sorts of funny stuff ever since he and Malloy had started their relationship - but tonight, there was a nervousness that Garbo had never felt before in his life.

"Garbo?" Malloy's voice rang through the door, with a lilt that Garbo didn't recognise.

He stared the door down, burning holes in it from sheer nervous energy.

"You ready?"

"Think so... hold on."

The lock on Malloy's dressing room door unlatched, and Garbo took a moment to steel himself before entering the room.

The visage that met Garbo was unprecedented and beautiful. Malloy's light, swamp-green scales had been dusted with a light shimmering foundation, and the shade of lipstick she had used was a deep, understated red. Malloy's eyelids shone in the dim lights of the dressing room, reflecting a deep, dark blue that complemented the colour of her scales. A billowy pink blouse hung from her shoulders, suiting her trim frame, and a string of robust pink beads hung down from her neck.

Garbo was flabbergasted. And he was flabbergasted a lot - his role in their comedy team called for a flustered, unassuming reaction every now and again. But rather than out of comedic bewilderment, Garbo's reaction was out of sheer, unparalleled affection for his partner.

He didn't have a name for the face yet - but Garbo realised that he was meeting the love of his life all over again.

"So..." Malloy mumbled shyly, "how do I look?"

Garbo's glasses, while already somewhat opaque, were in the progress of steaming over. He had been seeing Malloy for a couple of months now, but seeing them in a feminine light like this - it was new ground, and he was trying to find his footing.

"Woah." Garbo stammered out what words he could as his face broke into a nervous grin. "That's, uhh... different."

Malloy leaned in, giving him a better look at her make-up, as his wobbly smile grew wider.

"Do you like it?" Malloy asked shyly, with a demure smile.

"Y-yeah," Garbo breathed as Malloy's hands brushed his ribs. "Yeah, I like it a lot."

Malloy smiled from ear to ear upon hearing this, and the sight calmed his frazzled nerves. It was Malloy, the love of his life. Behind those beautiful eyes, it was Malloy.

Garbo's watch beeped, and his eyes rushed down to the time piece. It was getting quite late - they'd probably miss their quiet after-work drink if they stayed for much longer.

He laid a paw on Malloy's waist, then pulled it back.

"We'd better get going... uhh, dear."

Malloy looked up at him with a grateful glint in her eye.

"Yeah. Let's go."

* * *

After donning a khaki overcoat, low-brimmed hat and wide, winged sunglasses, Malloy left the studio followed by Garbo. They were going to a low-key bar on the other side of the city, but they had agreed to take precautions against identification in the vicinity of their studio. They had established this at the start of their relationship, but they figured that it mattered now more than ever.

Garbo hailed down a cab, opening the door for Malloy before climbing in the back beside her. Their cab driver was an old, sleepy-looking bulldog, who gave them a cursory glance before asking where they needed to go.

They were soon on their way - and with the cab driver's attention focusing on the road, Garbo leaned over towards his partner.

"So, how should I address you, y'know? Like... are you my girlfriend? How are we doing this?"

Malloy looked straight ahead, her sunglasses perched a few inches on the end of her snout.

"Of course - we're a new couple going on a second date, having drinks."

She tilted an eye towards Garbo.

"D'you think that sounds natural?"

He nodded. She let out a sigh of relief.

Garbo sat up straight, and the pair soon reached their destination. Garbo tipped the cab driver extra for the long trip, and the pair soon found themselves in a dimly lit club. They scouted out a table, and Malloy left to get drinks - leaving her coat at the table with Garbo.

One drink turned into two, then three, then four. Malloy laughed a lot during their conversation, adopting a lilt that Garbo recognized from her dressing room - a new aspect of his new girlfriend that drove him wild.

 _I won't try to force the jokes,_ Garbo thought to himself as he sipped on a glass of vodka and tonic, _b_ _ut I could listen to her laugh like this all night._

The pair had been moving closer together all night, with Malloy now comfortably cuddling up to Garbo's side as they talked. It was an intimacy that they were both familiar with - but with a barrier between them now removed, they felt all the more closer. Malloy could smell the subtle musk of her boyfriend's scent, and Garbo could only admire the gentle shimmer of his girlfriend's scales as they reflected in the low lights of the club.

"Hey, Garbo!"

Garbo sat up, a brief tension running through his frame. But he softened his posture at the sight of some friends.

"Bailey, Scott! How's it going?"

Malloy looked up as Garbo chatted with his pals - thankfully, no-one that she knew. They may have been a moderately famous comedy duo, but she had faith that her make-up and wardrobe cut a distinctly different figure than her on-screen counterpart.

Scott, a floppy-eared beagle, looked over at Malloy as she reclined comfortably in Garbo's embrace.

"Hey, who's your date?"

Garbo puffed out his chest. "Ma--"

He caught himself before he could blurt out the name. He shot a look over to Malloy, who took a deep breath.

"Marian."

Garbo breathed a quiet sigh of relief.

"Marian." Garbo hugged her close with his arm as he spoke. "This is Marian."

* * *

The ride home was spent in each other's arms, with Marian's head resting on Garbo's shoulder.

"I think I had a bit too much to drink."

Garbo cupped her chin and brought her gaze up to his own.

"I'll grab you some aspirin and water when we get home."

Marian let out a steamy sigh as she settled back into Garbo's side. "Thanks, I'd love that. Straight to bed for me."

The cab rolled up to Garbo's place, and he tipped the driver generously as they sped off into the night. Garbo's arm slid behind Marian's, but neither of them were drunk enough to fall over - if anything, they supported each other as they stumbled to Garbo's door.

Marian took off her shoes as she crossed the threshold, and Garbo went to the kitchen to grab some water and aspirin as she wandered up to bed. He followed her in a few minutes later, leaving a couple white tablets next to her glass.

"I can't believe I'm open about this now," Marian breathed happily as she settled into bed. "I'm not this snide alligator man that everyone knows me as - I'm finally who I want to be."

Garbo snuggled close to her, laying his muzzle over her shoulder.

"Marian."

The name sent tingles up her spine, and she snuggled into Garbo's embrace.

"Mmm... That's me."

Garbo could feel her heart beating, and he began to drift off into a hazy snooze. There was still a lot about Marian that he didn't know about - they hadn't talked about what was going to happen in the future, or when she was going to come out to everyone - if she even wanted to, or had planned that far ahead.

But she would still be here in the morning, and if she wanted to discuss the future, Garbo would be there to listen.

For now, all there was to think about was a plate of bacon and waffles in the morning, a glass of water to sip on during the night, and a beautiful woman he had just spent the night with. And that's all there needed to be. No whoppahs about it.

**Author's Note:**

> Just want to disclaim that I'm not a furry. I respect the community, but I personally do not identify as a furry. This is arguably the closest I've come to producing furry content, but I'm just trying to portray the story of two people who just so happen to be anthropomorphic creatures in their source material. Just want to cover my bases - I love a good pairing, given that they have a great deal of love and adoration for each other.
> 
> I think I portrayed the "Marian" moment a bit differently than the source material. But it's that hug, and the reiteration from Garbo - the acceptance of Marian - that hit me the hardest. He loves this woman. I can't say whether they were seeing each other for long in the fan comic, but here they've been together for months - and he loves Marian just as much now as be loved her before she came out to him.
> 
> Again - my comments and inbox are open to criticism if I misrepresented the trans experience. I don't want any transgender readers to be uncomfortable with the way I wrote this, and as someone who isn't necessarily well-versed in the depiction of transgender individuals, I'm aware that I might have approached this the wrong way. Just know that my intention was pure, and I'm committed to making this a more inclusive story if I've made any mistakes in the depiction of Marian's coming-out to Garbo.


End file.
